Collections : [Central Connecticut State University]

Adam T. Raczkowski, a World War I veteran of the American army, was gassed by Germans in France in 1918. He received the Purple Heart 65 years later. Mr. Raczkowski was active in the Polish Falcons in Southington, CT and participated in their numerous sports events. Collection includes a unique photo from a Falcon's field Day in Meriden CT in 1915.

Collection consists of records of the American Council of Polish Culture (ACPC) compiled by Mr. Alfred Bochenek during his active participation in the organization. It covers the time span of 1971 to 1996. The name of the organization changed in 1988 from American Council of Polish Cultural Clubs (ACPCC) to American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC). Within this collection we refer to the organization as ACPCC and ACPC to reflect the change in the name. Extensive correspondence and membership information illustrate activities of the council from 1971 till 1996.

Alvin O'Konski was a Polish American Congressman from Wisconsin whose political career spanned several decades. O'Konski, a Republican, was known for his anti-communist activities, and was a member of the US Congressional Committee and participated in the Katyn Massacre hearing in Frankfurt, Germany. This collection contains material related to the Katyn massacre hearings and reports.

American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC) is one of the oldest Polish American cultural organizations. Beginning in 1948, and still existing today, the ACPC serves as a national umbrella organization for many local cultural clubs and organizations. The ACPC collection chronicles a wide range of the organization's activities. It illustrates the beginning, changes, and development of the organization supported with extensive correspondence, minutes, reports, and annual conventions materials.

Andrew J. Beck, also known as Andrzej Beck, was an engineering executive who worked in several American engineering companies, where he was responsible for the Eastern European trade during the Cold War years. Beck was born in Poland and was 13 years old when World War II began. He left the country with his mother, Maria Slominska, at the end of September 1939, escaping the Germans and Russians. He is the only son of Jozef Beck, the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs before WWII. The collection consists of memoirs written by Andrzej Beck for his family, and a DVD of a TVN Polish television production about Jozef Beck. A CD includes interviews with Andrzej Beck and people who were close to his father, Mr. Jozef Beck, during WWII. Andrzej Beck passed away on July 20, 2011, in Fairfield, CT.

Collection illustrates establishment and years of activities of the Association of Polish Priests of Connecticut (APPC). The association was initially established under the Polish name Zjednoczenie Kaplanow Polskich in 1915. The main mission was to establish a religious association of clergy who shared common ethnic heritage. The association represented the interests of Polish clergy within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, which was almost exclusively run by clergy of the Irish heritage. The APPC was instrumental in organizing the celebration of the Millennium of Polish Christianity in 1966, which was a hallmark of public manifestation of religious and cultural links between Polish Americans and the country of their forefathers. The association made numerous financial contributions to the Catholic Church in Poland and sponsored a major book publication - a biography of Monsignor Bojnowski. In February of 1991 the association became an affiliate member of a national organization - the Polish American Priests Association, which was established in San Antonio, Texas.

From 1971-1979, Betty Hudson was a Selectwoman for the Town of Madison, CT and a two-term Democratic State Senator representing Connecticut's 33rd District. She continued to work for the state in the field of Human Services under Governors Grasso and O'Neill until 1985. This collection includes materials from her endeavors since 1970, including correspondence, articles, and clippings regarding local, state, and national events, community projects, and legislation pertaining to gender and homosexual rights.

William (Bill) Bahlman is an activist and journalist, working since the 1970s to fight for access to medications for all people with HIV and AIDS, and to document this fight through photography and videography. He is currently an associate producer for a weekly news program of GLBTQ interest and serves on AIDS research advisory boards, while living with HIV since the 1980s. This collection includes copies of flyers Mr. Bahlman created for AIDS advocacy campaigns, AIDS-related newspaper articles, and selected testimony before Presidential and Congressional Commissions.

Collection consists of personal papers of Mr. Bronislaw Krzyzewski, a World War I veteran of the Polish Army under General Jozef Haller in France and later in Poland.

Carolyn Gabel-Brett and Leslie Gabel-Brett are avid activists for women's rights, gender equality, and homosexual rights, participating in several Connecticut groups since 1972. This collection includes materials from their endeavors from 1986 through 2021 including documents, periodicals, books, photographs, buttons and t-shirts from local and national events, community projects, and legislation pertaining to gender and homosexual rights.